Hellyeah at the Mercury Ballroom in Louisville, KY

Metal masters Hellyeah take Louisville by storm with Kyng and Righteous Vendetta.

As promised, Hellyeah returns to Louisvilleâ€™s Mercury Ballroom on Monday night, greeted by an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd of metallers.

As the stage lights come up, exposing a stage saturated in deep blues and reds and filled with fog, Hellyeah explodes into their set with â€œX,â€ and â€œDemons In The Dirtâ€ ending with lead singer Chad Gray standing on the barrier interacting with the crowd. With Chadâ€™s face now dripping with blood, Hellyeah start into â€œSangre por Sangreâ€ (Blood for Blood) and the evening is off to a rocket start.

Pausing briefly, Chad talks to the fans about family. â€œLook around, this is your heavy metal family, make some new friends and high five the people around you. Heavy metal saved my life many times, the metal family and support is powerful.â€ The guys notice a number of young â€œHellionsâ€ in the crowd including 6-year-old Michael, perched on his fatherâ€™s shoulders and sporting what had to be a 4-inch high mohawk. “When I was 6 years old I was learning my ABC’s and this kid is at a Hellyeah show”, Chad tells everyone.

Over the next 60 minutes, an avalanche of energy pours from the stage as Chad and the guys roll through several fan favorites including â€œMoth,” “Human,â€ â€œWar in Meâ€ and â€œLove Fallsâ€. At every small break in the action, Vinnie is up, standing behind his kit, all smiles, encouraging the crowd to be louder while tossing his used sticks into the crowd.

Chad is center stage sharing with the fans, â€œWe are having a family affair tonight, we are here to use each other in all the best ways. People could learn a lot about respect coming to a metal showâ€.

â€œLeave all your problems outside, they will still be there when you leave. Get your horns in the airâ€ he directs, as Hellyeah blasts into â€œStartariotâ€ amping up the energy even higher. Capitalizing on the energy in the room, Hellyeah close the set with â€œGrave,â€ the Phil Collins cover â€œI Don’t Care Anymore,â€ an old-school song â€œYou Wouldn’t Knowâ€ and finally â€œHellyeah!â€ to a huge ovation.

Chad makes one last promise â€œIf you keep coming back to see us, we will keep coming back to Louisvilleâ€ drawing a huge roar and bringing a great night of metal to a close.

Los Angeles’ power trio Kyng, provide the main support this evening. Featuring many songs from their most recent album, Breathe In The Water, while also dipping into a few older songs, Kyng prove to be a force on stage. When vocalist and guitarist, Eddie Veliz, isn’t hair whipping and jumping off stage risers, he is in complete control, tearing through some blazing riffs. Kyng end their set with â€œBreathe In the Waterâ€ to a resounding ovation.

Touring in support of their most recent album, Cursed, Christian metallers Righteous Vendetta open the evening with a bang. Lead singer, Ryan Hayesis relentless on stage as they roll through a furious set featuring â€œThis Painâ€ before closing with â€œFar Awayâ€. It seems that drummer, Zack Goggins, broke his finger the previous tour stop but you sure couldnâ€™t tell. It was a great start to the night.